Bill Cranmer, Hereditary Chief, N’amgis First Nation, and renowned K’ómoks and Kwakwaka’wakw artist Andy Everson are guests of the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) at a special centennial screening of In the Land of the Head Hunters.

The 1914 film is American photographer Edward S. Curtis’s attempt to document the customs of the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl) peoples of the Central Coast, while telling a story about how their ancestors lived. This was the first feature film made in BC and is the oldest extant feature made in Canada.

A version of the film titled In the Land of the War Canoes was released in the 70’s and featured a soundtrack created by Kwakwaka’wakw elders. This latest release was originally released in 2008 but is now available in digital format. Saturdays’ screening marks the 100 year anniversary of the original screening.

The Indigenous Tourism Association of British Columbia is a non-profit, membership-based organization that is committed to growing and promoting a sustainable, culturally rich Indigenous tourism industry.